St. Paul, MN – More than 100 people, from across the state, came to the governor's mansion on August 20 to demand that Governor Ventura “stop the time clock” on the 5-year limit on welfare. The demonstration was organized by the Minnesota Welfare Rights Coalition (MN-WRC).

Stop the Time Limits!

MN-Welfare Rights Coalition protests five year time limits on welfare at Governor Ventura's mansion

Photo by Kim Defranco

The chants, “Jesse, Jesse, you must know, the five year limit has to go!” and “Jesse, Jesse, we're at your door, stop the war on the poor!” rung out around the mansion.

The demonstration brought out the message that Minnesota's welfare law, MFIP (MN Family Investment Plan), is a disaster, and that Governor Ventura has the power to fix it.

The Minnesota welfare law put a 5-year lifetime limit on people receiving public assistance, and there are 3 years left. MN-WRC states that if the federal government refuses to stop the time clock, Governor Ventura should do it for Minnesota.

Frosty Cunningham, of Virginia, Minnesota and MN-WRC, pointed out, “The protest furthered our message that the welfare law isn't working and is hurting so many people. It caused many more people to use the soup kitchens, be homeless and there isn't enough help for everyone. The MFIP law is a disaster.”

She continued, “[We are] keeping the pressure on Ventura because he's not doing right and he is not for the poor people of Minnesota. We only have 3 more years to go [before the 5 year time limit is up] and we have to keeping moving forward to change this disastrous law.”

smash the 5-year limit clock!

Smashing time clocks at Governor's Mansion to protest 5 year limit on welfare

Photo By Kim Defranco

Protesters smashed clocks with sledge hammers to dramatize the need to stop the clock that is ticking on our lives, and they shouted, “Jesse what time is it? It's time to stop the clock!”

Peggy Watkins, of the Twin Cities-based Welfare Rights Committee, has had a lot of problems with the welfare system. She was kicked off the system in the winter of '97 and welfare gave her and her children a bus ticket to Detroit. In Detroit, the welfare law wasn't any better. They made her go to a work program even though she didn't have stable housing, so she made her way back to Minnesota. At the protest, she said that she wants to make changes to the welfare law so others don't have to go through what she did.

Watkins told demonstrators, “This rally is wonderful and we need more of them. It is good to be here in front of Jesse's mansion to deal with him one-on-one. Now his neighbors have a chance to see who this man really is. He's not for us.”

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Members of the Minnesota Welfare Rights Coalition, a statewide coalition of low income people's organizations from across Minnesota, including Minneapolis-St. Paul, Duluth, St. Cloud, Moorhead, Winona, Mankato, Northfield, Virginia and Bemidji, laid out the effects of MFIP-S on low income families in different counties around the state.

Members of the Minnesota Welfare Rights Coalition echoed that the new welfare program is a “disaster for Minnesota's poor all over the state.” “MFIP-S is ridiculous,” stated Kathy Krueger of Minnesotans United for Social Justice of St. Cloud. “In Stearns and Benton Counties, welfare recipients who wish to better themselves with an education are being denied anything over 6 months. If there is a limit on assistance, wouldn't it make more sense to become educated so we can get a position that will sustain our families?”

She continued “What's going to happen to people when we use up the system's five-year limit and lose our jobs? We'll end up homeless with our whole family. Welfare recipients can't work their way out of poverty with low-wage, entry level jobs. People can't survive off of $5-an-hour jobs when they have a family to feed. MFIP-S is just setting us up to fail.”

Coalition members from counties around Minnesota related similar stories about the new welfare program in their counties. “MFIP-S pushes work at all cost. The idea behind MFIP-S is that if you work, you'll be better off – but that is a lie,” stated Mimi Molina of the Welfare Rights Committee of Minneapolis-St. Paul. “The fact is, MFIP-S creates a pool of low-wage workers, that will affect not just welfare recipients but the working poor, by driving down everyone's wages and displacing workers. Education should be the first choice because it gives us a better opportunity at a livable wage job, not a dead-end job.”

In St. Louis County, members of Low Income People Organizing for Power, state that MFIP-S is a “big flop.” “MFIP-S just throws you out there to get any kind of job whether it can take care of your family or not. They're just pushing people off welfare to save money for the state,” stated Derrick Parker. “MFIP-S has opened the doors to racism and discrimination. In St. Louis County, more people of color are being pushed off the welfare, with no chance for education, are being forced into looking for low wage jobs, and are being sanctioned right away. Job counselors are also telling folks they can't get education and are counting job hunting as job training.”

Hector Martinez, Director of Centro Cultural de Fargo/Moorhead related that in Clay County there is a large community of migrant workers who come to Minnesota to do agricultural work every summer. “Families are being denied assistance because of the 30 day residency requirement, even when there is no work available.” Young families being forced to take low wage jobs and the threat of sanctions are some of the worst problems, stated others from Moorhead.

Brenda Boettcher of the Winona Chapter of the Minnesota Welfare Rights Coalition, gave this report: “Financial workers and job counselors are giving out misinformation and denying services to people, that were promised, to help with child care, transportation, uniforms and materials for employment. Workforce counselors are forcing people to leave education plans and take a faster, cheaper route.”

“For example, one woman in her 2nd year of college to be a registered nurse was told by her job counselor to change her major to fit into a shorter program, even though she had already invested time and money into her education. People without job skills are being forced to work at sheltered workshops for low wages – work that will never give us training for decent jobs and will never get us livable wage jobs! I'm working a $6 an hour job full time, and I don't have enough to feed my entire family and I have no medical care for my three kids. Families are going hungry all over, and parents are not eating to make sure there's enough for the kids, because of these welfare changes!” she added.

“There is extreme discrimination and abuse of immigrants being carried out in Hennepin and Ramsey Counties. Parents who do not read or write, and do not speak English, are being forced to go do job search for thirty hours a week, instead of being exempted and allowed to attend ESL (English as a Second Language) classes,” stated Debra Howze, of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Welfare Rights Committee.

Repeated stories of abuse, lies, and discrimination being carried out by workers and job counselors were related by Coalition members. “People are being forced to work even if they have disabilities and a doctor's note saying that they can't work,” stated Alexis Neeland of Centro Cultural of Fargo/Moorhead, relating the story of a friend who suffered this abuse by workers. Coalition members demanded that workers be held accountable for lies, abuse and discrimination. “For the first offense workers should be demoted and for the second offense they should be fired,” stated Hector Martinez.

At the statewide meeting, Coalition members laid out demands to the counties, and discussed the fight back that is needed at both the county and state level to stop the lies, abuse and attacks on families in poverty in Minnesota.

“Government and agency people are all saying that MFIP-S is a great program,” stated Brenda Boettcher. “But they want us to just judge a book by its cover. It might look nice on the outside, but when you take a closer look on the inside, you can see that MFIP-S is a disaster for poor families. We have to fight back every attack on welfare and on our lives from our County agencies to the State Capitol!”

The real issue is that poverty is the real problem, and we cannot reduce the welfare 'dole' without first attacking poverty,” stated Kathy Krueger. “We all need livable wages, affordable housing, a decent education, and universal health care to begin reducing the 'problems' of welfare. We demand that politicians attack poverty, not the poor!”

“As low income people, we have to fight back and confront these people in their faces,” stated Derrick Parker. “We have to go to both the Counties and to the Minnesota State Legislature starting in January to get more education, to stop cruel sanctions, to stop forced work at low-wage jobs and to stop all the attacks on our families!”

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Commenting on the February 1 Poor People's Rally, Dolly Clater said, “I thought it was great. It was powerful for all the different cities to come together and fight for changes in the inhumane and unjust way the system treats welfare recipients.”

LIPOP brought a bus to the Capitol on February 1. They went all-out leafleting the welfare office and low income neighborhoods. “There was a wonderful turnout of support,” said Linda Richey.

Poor people from Duluth were among those blasting Minnesota's welfare law, the Minnesota Family Investment Plan (MFIP) at hearings in the legislature. Along with recipients from other cities, they drove home the message, “MFIP is a disaster!”

“I believe the Senate hearings came out in our favor,” said Derek Parker, LIPOP. He noted that it was a huge victory when the Senate voted against the 100% sanctions plan, which would completely cut some families off assistance.

Marvella Davis, LIPOP, was among those who chained herself to the entrance to Representative Goodno's office. Goodno is the author of some of the most serious attacks on the poor this legislative session. “I think the sit-in is an excellent way to show the politicians that we are serious about our belief that we have the same rights as non-MFIP recipients,” said Davis.

Annabelle LaClaire stated, “I was really proud of the participants who did the sit-in at Goodno's office.”

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Aiming to get Mayor Gary Doty removed from office in the November elections, LIPOP is mobilizing and carrying out voter registrations in Duluth's low income community.

Derrick Parker of LIPOP says the struggle to get rid of Doty is part of the fight for living wage jobs. “He's not for living wage jobs...he has to go,” said Parker.

Parker points out that in Duluth, people of color are locked out of city and county jobs that pay enough to raise a family.

Doty says that 9000 new jobs have been created, but LIPOP argues that many of these jobs are in the tourism industry, jobs as maids or cooks, with minimum wages.

The Duluth economy is dependent on iron mining, timber and transport, which means that every economic downturn has hit the city hard. Doty's strategy to deal with this is to throw subsidies at big business and create low paying, part time jobs.

LIPOP also charges that Mayor Doty refuses to deal with police brutality. “He does not believe that the police department is brutal,” states Anabelle LaClaire. This comes on the heels of a sharp controversy over the pattern of disrespect and brutality that police aim at youth of color.

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“We are here today to tell you that MFIP-S is doing terrible things to families in St. Louis County,” said Derrick Parker of LIPOP.

Since the new welfare law went into effect, many low income St. Louis county residents have charged that there is a pattern of discrimination and abuse against people receiving public assistance.

County Commissioners are trying to avoid a public hearing by claiming there are other routes for low income people to pursue. “As commissioners of St Louis County you should want to know what's going on with the new welfare reform program and you should want to hear from the people that are affected,” said Parker.

LIPOP will continue to press their demands at a January 13th protest.

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The Republican candidate, Norm Coleman, refused to attend the debate. He has a reputation for open hostility to the interests of poor and working people. Despite tough questioning by LIPOP and the Minnesota Welfare Rights Coalition, Skip Humphrey refused to take a stand against the attacks on welfare. Green Party candidate, Ken Pentel said that welfare reform was a part of the war on the poor.

Had Enough

There is a rising tide of anger in Duluth's low income community. At a recent LIPOP meeting, Darren Hawpetoss told of being kept waiting four hours by a financial worker at the welfare office. When the worker finally emerged, she stated that she needed to go get a cup of coffee. “Her coffee comes before human lives,” says Hawpetoss. Another participant, Shelly Thygeson says, “We need to hold the system accountable.”

Paul Ebert sees fighting back as a matter of survival and states, “When a CEO gets 230 million dollars in one year, something is wrong with this country.”

Sharp Struggles

Davis notes, “Low Income People Organizing for Power has an impressive track record. We got our Senator Sam Solon and our Representative Mike Jaros to introduce the Minnesota Welfare Rights Coalition's Anti-Poverty Bill in the 1997 legislative session.”

“We also put the heat on Rep. Tom Huntley. Huntley works at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. We were nice enough to wait until his class was done. When he came out we cornered him, asked him questions on where does he stand with the welfare issue. The most important question was, 'Are you willing to get more education for those of us who need more education?' He answered with a yes. We also made him sign a contract that he would push for that,” said Davis.

Growing Movement

Duluth is emerging as a stronghold of Minnesota's poor people's movement. “We get new people involved in the organization through door-knocking, leafleting at the welfare office, or some kind of action,” stated Derrick Parker, another LIPOP leader.

LIPOP is now pushing for a public hearing on the abuses that are taking place within Minnesota's new welfare program.

“Our main goal is to get our community involved in organizing and standing up for what is right. We will use our power to fight injustice and oppression that affects every one of us,” said Parker

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